Gone?
by theorangetwin
Summary: When Tohru witnesses Kyo being taken away by a mysterious pair, will the Sohma family have what it takes to find and get Kyo back? And will he even want to go back? Some Tohru x Yuki, some Yuki x Kyo Inspired by a story from Crimson Grim Reaper Girl.
1. Chapter 1

Tohru P.O.V

It was just an ordinary day at home. Nothing out of the ordinary; Yuki and I were sitting around the table chatting and laughing, Shigure was reading the newspaper (occasionally adding to our conversation), and Kyo was nowhere to be found, where he liked it. Everything seemed perfect. It was chilly outside, as you'd expect in late winter, so we were all bundled up drinking some green tea.

"Hmm, I wonder where Kyo is, it's freezing outside!" I exclaimed. I opened the door to see if Kyo was outside.

"Don't worry, that cat can handle the cold pretty well, he'll be alright," said Yuki, although, the expression on his face as he peeked over my shoulder told me that he was slightly worried as well.

"I'm sure he's alright, Tohru. Say, why don't you make us some lunch to warm us up a bit?" Shigure said, looking up from his newspaper.

"Oh, okay, sure!" I smiled and walked into the kitchen. Even with my socks on the floor was still chilling my feet. I could barely walk; my feet were so cold that they hurt. I opened the freezer to see what we had to eat and got a huge chill up my spine

"Ugh, it's so cold," I said. I decided I wouldn't be able to focus on making a great meal if my feet were numb, and I won't let the cold stop me! I ran upstairs into my room, hoping to find another pair of socks and my slippers to warm up my feet.

"Ah, here they are!" I reached under the bed to grab my pink fluffy slippers, perfect for cold days like these. As I walked past my window to go back downstairs, I saw something move quickly out of the corner of my eye. '_Maybe it's Kyo_,' I thought, as I walked towards the window to see what had caused the disturbance.

A black van, sitting outside in front of the house. It looked so ominous, surrounded by the blanket of white snow that covered everything.

What's it doing there? Just then, two people, completely clad in white clothing, got out of the van and stood there, like they were looking for something. The one who got out of the passenger side of the car was a woman. She had shoulder-length, dyed blonde hair, and thick, dark red lips. I couldn't make out specific details on her face, but her expression seemed almost like she was angry from where I was standing. She looked like she was in good shape, almost like a model, but I couldn't make it out because she had a thick white fur coat on and baggy white cardigan pants.

The man who got out of the car was a tall, practically albino man. His hair was an ash gray color, and had it pulled back into a long pony tail. He was very tall; if I had to guess I'd say he was over six feet. He too looked like he could be a model, but again, I couldn't tell. He was wearing a long white trench coat and the same looking white cardigan pants as the woman. They both had these strange boots on, they were white of course, but instead of laces, they had thick chains, and they also had chains tied around their boots, I'm assuming to help them walk on the snow and ice. This was too weird.

I was about to run downstairs to tell Shigure and Yuki, when I saw a bright change in the color of the scenery outside. Apparently Kyo was on the roof, because I saw him hop down onto the ground a few feet in front of the black van.

"Who are you?" he asked in that pissed-off tone he always carries.

"I'm Ayumu," the man sad coolly, "and this is my partner, Tenshi."

'_Such strange names'_ I thought to myself.

"Yeah, and what do you want?" said Kyo. He was starting to look annoyed with the pair.

"Is your name Kyo Sohma, by any chance?" said the female. Her voice was serious, but in a toying way. It sent shivers down my spine, but Kyo didn't seem fazed by it. I wonder how they know Kyo's name. I leaned closer to the glass of the window until my face was practically squished against it, trying to hear what they were saying more clearly.

"Who wants to know?" Kyo said, finally looking intrigued with the conversation. The pair gave each other a devilish smirk in unison as they stepped closer to Kyo, who instinctively took a fighting stance. I don't think he trusts them, and neither do I. This was getting too weird now. The pair continued to step closer and closer to Kyo. He kept his fighting stance, but they looked like serious trouble, so Kyo started taking a step back whenever they took one forward. I was really starting to get worried now, but somehow I just couldn't get my legs to move. I needed to warn somebody.

Maybe it's because Kyo was feeling a little scared (even though eh would never admit it), or maybe it's because his guard was up that he tripped on a rock and fell backward into the cold snow. Then before he knew it, the two were looming over him, grinning wider than before.

"We have been assigned to come claim you for the boss," the woman said, her voice like silver, as her words hung in the air.

Kyo sat up quickly, almost directly in their faces he shouted, "What do you mean claim me?!"

Once again, their grins grew wider as each of them grabbed an arm and yanked Kyo up from the ground. '_Kyo!_' I thought. He was struggling quite a lot, but their vice grip proved to be too much for him. They dragged him to the van and opened the back door. "Let go of me! Damn it! GET OFF!" The man took a thick rope from the back of the van and gagged Kyo to stop him from yelling.

'_Oh no!_' I internally screamed as they picked Kyo up and threw him into the back of the van, slamming the door shut.

'_KYO!_' I can't move. I can't speak. Please body, I need to get downstairs, I need to tell somebody. I need to help him! Finally, the two got into the front of their van and drove off. '_This isn't happening!_' I thought, '_I'm dreaming!_' As they started to drive away, the terror began to be too much for as I let out a blood curdling scream, and fell to the floor.  
I felt tears run down my cheeks as blackness washed over me.


	2. Chapter 2

Kyo P.O.V

'_Dammit, what the hell._' I opened my eyes and felt like I was gonna be sick. I wanted to rub the back of my head to stop the bump from forming there, but my arms and legs were tied behind me with thick chains. Did I really hit my head so hard that I passed out? What the hell is going on here?!

"Oh look, the little twit's awake." that woman said with a laughing tone, "Did you have a nice nap?" I tried to snap at her, but I guess my screaming and protesting killed my throat. What the hell was her name again? Tenji? Tensa? Whatever. That guy, whatever his name was, wasn't in the room with us.

Room?

I was so out of it that I didn't realize I wasn't in the back of the van anymore. I sat up so fast that I almost passed out again.

"Where the hell am I? What am I doing here you stupid bitch?" I said with a whisper.

"Excuse me," she said, getting up from where she was sitting. She placed her white boot on my chest. "I told you my name, now you use it, you little brat." She sounded annoyed.

"Keh, whatever."

She went and sat back down on this large oak looking desk. Wonder whose desk it is. I looked around to get a better look at my surroundings, maybe to find an escape route for later. There were so many doors I couldn't tell which one led to outside. I realized just now how cold it was in here. Colder than it should have been, and noticed there weren't any windows. Maybe we're underground. '_This room is huge._' It was kinda dark in here. The walls and floor were made of cement, almost like a parking garage. '_I gotta get outta here._'  
I looked around some more until I heard quick footsteps coming from my left side. It was that guy.

"Tenshi, he's coming," he said, sounding kind of tense; like something bad is going to happen.

"Ayumu, finally! I'm sick of babysitting this brat." Tenshi got up from her seat and stood on the right side of me, while Ayumu walked over and stood on my left.

"Hey, Tenshi or whatever, who's coming?" I asked. My voice was still a whisper, and she didn't look down. I don't think she heard me.

"Hey!" I said louder. This time, she bent down and grabbed my jaw, then pulled my face up to meet hers. She said through clenched teeth, "Listen you little twat, if you can't keep your mouth shut and behave for 10 damn minutes then Ayumu there will knock you out again, you got me?"

I jerked my face out of her hands and she stood back up right as "He" walked in.

He was a tall; taller than Ayumu. He was very muscular, but not in a gross way; almost like he had been in the military or something. He had brown buzz-cut hair and going a scar going from his the right side of his forehead down to the left side of his face. He had a mean expression. His clothing definitely tied together the whole military look, with his wife-beater shirt and his cargo pants, except they were completely white. He definitely was with the two G.I. Joe's standing next to me.

"Kyo Sohma." He said, walking towards me. "I'm Rush."

'_Keh, pretty stupid name._' It only took him a few short strides until he was standing directly in front of me. He bent down at the waist; his face only a few inches from mine.

"Who are you, and what the hell do you want from me?" I shouted. My voice was returning now, and I could get loud.

"That's what I'm here to explain." He sat down at the desk. "I've brought you here because you are a great fighter.

'_Huh? A great fighter_?'

"Uhm, thank you, I guess. But that still doesn't explain why you kidnapped me!"

"I was getting to that. I've brought you here because you're a great fighter, and I want you."

"Want me for what, you ol' creep?"

"I want you to join me. I run a "business" of sorts, and you would make a great addition. So what do you say?"

"You haven't even told me what this "business" is yet!"

He laughed a little before explaining, like something was funny. I'd like to smack that stupid grin off his face. "I take in young teens who feel put out by their families; those who consider themselves to have no family or home. And then I train them to fight, and they fight each other weekly, for praise, status, and money. The winner of each week gets $100. They save up their money in hopes to start a new life. Get an apartment, find a job, you get the drift. Now, from the research that I've done on you, a couple of years ago you ran away from your family's house to do some training in the mountain. Now you live in a house with your cousins, is that right?

I didn't answer, so he went on.

"And my "workers" tell me that you don't like the school you're attending right now. In fact, you don't like school at all do you? Not to mention that you're constantly fighting or arguing with someone, especially with that cousin of yours. What's his name? . . Yuki, is it?"

"Shut your mouth, you damn army brat!" I yelled. "You don't know anything about my family life! Who the hell do you think you are?! Look, even if I DID have problems with my family life, what the hell makes you think I would join you and your army of brain washed lackeys?! I don't need your help. Now let me go!"

He got up from behind the desk and smacked me across the face, and bent down again to look me in the eyes. I met his gaze with a snarl on my face.

"Come on, let us be real her Kyo. Do you really think you belong in that house? You don't really think they love you, do you?"

'What does he mean?'

He stood back up and paced in front of me. "They've never accepted you, never wanted you. The only person in that house who truly accepts you is that little girly."

"Leave Tohru out of this!" I shouted. I wanted to rip his throat out.

"Oh, so Tohru is her name. Hmph, well, even if she accepts you, you'll never have her, will you?"

He stopped pacing and looked at me, a slight grin on his face.

"Yuki took that away from you too, didn't he?"

Tohru P.O.V

I woke up to find myself looking at my ceiling. I was tucked into my bed with an ice pack on my head. I feel so groggy. Must be from crying.

Hmmm, crying . . .

Kyo?!

I shot up out of my bed and ran downstairs, ignoring my nauseated feeling, and was greeted with the worried faces of Yuki and Shigure, with the addition of Hatori and Momiji. They were all sitting around the table drinking and eating take out.

"Tohru!" shouted Momiji. He stood up from where he was sitting. He sounded very worried, but still happy to see me.

"Ah, I see your up," said Hatori in his usual bland tone. "We've ordered you some food. You should eat so you can regain your strength." He moved over, making a place for me to sit down, but I couldn't sit down. It was still hard for me to move. I was still in shock. I thought about Kyo again, and nearly threw up. I crumbled onto the floor again and started sobbing. They all rushed over to me, Yuki being the first one there. He sat next to me. He looked so hurt because he couldn't hug me or comfort me like I desperately needed. Instead, they sat me up against the wall.

"Yu-ki," I was barely able to choke out.

"What's wrong Tohru?" asked Shigure. He was leaning down in front of me, his eyes full of concern.

I tried to recall what had happened before, but it was hard.

"Kyo," was all I could say, but Hatori pried for more information.

"What happened Tohru? What happened to Kyo?" He was sitting in front of me. He looked like he wanted to comfort me, but probably felt it wasn't proper. Plus, Momiji and Yuki already had that covered. Momiji was holding my hands and Yuki petted my hair.

I let out another sob as I tried to tell them the scene that I had witnessed.

"Kyo. He - he was t-taken." I let out another sob. Yuki was about to get up to hug me, but then thought better of it and sat back down.

"Taken? By who?" Urged Hatori.

"I- I… I don't know!" I said, and cried harder.

"Shigure, we need to get someone." Hatori looked at Shigure, both looking worried sick.

"Yes, but who do we go to?"

"Well, we could start with the police."

Shigure stood up, thought for a moment, and crouched back down in front of me. He took one of my hands and stroked it.

"Tohru, sweetheart, I know that this is hard for you, but when the police come, we need you to explain everything you saw to them. Yuki, Momiji, why don't take Tohru upstairs and help her prepare herself.

"Yes." They said in unison.

Momiji and Yuki each took my elbow and helped me stand up. They took me upstairs to my bedroom and laid me on my bed.

"Here." Yuki whispered. "Why don't you take a nap, and we'll wake you up when the police get here."

I nodded. As he started to walk away, I panicked and grabbed his hand.

"Yuki!" I dropped my voice down to a whisper. "Please. Please don't leave."

He smiled a little, and took my desk chair and sat down. "Of course," he said. He kissed my forehead, and I drifted off to sleep.

General P.O.V

"So, what do you say, Kyo? Will you join us?"

Kyo looked up from where he was sitting. Dried tears and blood caked his face. He thought about all those times he never felt accepted. Him, being the stupid cat, could never be a part of the Zodiac, even though Rush didn't know that part about him.  
'_And Tohru,_' he thought. No matter what, he could never truly have Tohru, because he knew that her true feelings lie with Yuki.

"Yes," he mumbled.

Rush put his hand to his ear, taunting Kyo.

"I said yes, okay! Yes, I'll join you."

Rush stood up with a devilish grin on his face, like the one Ayumu and Tenshi were sporting earlier.

"Good."


	3. Chapter 3

General P.O.V

"Thank you, Officers."

"No problem, Sir. We'll try to do all we can."

After the Police left, Shigure shut the door and returned to the living room, where everyone was sitting.

Tohru had calmed down and was sitting at the table, finally getting some food into her stomach. Yuki and Momiji were watching Tohru; they didn't want to leave her side for one second. Hatori was smoking, but he had a look of discomfort about him.

"Shigure, doesn't it seem odd? I mean, Kyo getting captured like this? He may be immature, but he's no weakling; which probably means that whoever we're going up against is strong; very strong," said Hatori.

"Yes, this isn't like Kyo at all." Shigure said, tapping his chin like he was thinking.

"Well, whatever the case,"

Hatori paused and looked at the 3 kids sitting across from him. They all looked at him with saddened eyes. Even if they had their disagreements sometimes, they still cared for Kyo; even Yuki, although I don't know if he'd admit it. "Well, whatever the case, we will find him."

* * *

Kyo, Tenshi and Ayumu were walking down a long hallway, made out of cement, like he assumed the rest of the building was too. It was pretty narrow, and on each side of the walls there were moderate sized rooms. No, they weren't rooms, they were cells. It was warmer down here, so Tenshi and Ayumu had taken off their coats to reveal white wife-beater shirts, like the one Rush was wearing.  
'_Damn, these freaks are like action figures,' _thought Kyo. At different points along the tunnel he could see multiple hallways branching off. As they were walking, Tenshi explained more about the strange place they had entered.

"This is the main hallway, where all of you people sleep." She spat out the words "_you people_" like it was a curse. She pointed to a hallway on the left wall that cut the main hallway directly in half. "That's the cafeteria. You go there at 8:30 in the morning, 12:20 in the afternoon, and 8 at night. Don't get any food because you came late? Oh well." Then she pointed to another branch a little farther down on the right side. "Those are the bathrooms. There're signs that tell you where to go." Then she pointed all the way down to the end of the hallway. One branch went right, and another went left. "To the right are the showers and the locker rooms, there'll be signs down there that tell you where you go. And the left side," she grinned, "is the ring."

"The ring? You mean like, the fighting ring?"

"Yeah. Whenever you have a fight scheduled, you show up a half hour before the show starts, and you wait in your designated area. We'll explain in greater detail later."

Just then, Kyo noticed a room that seemed significantly larger than the others.

"Hey," he stopped the pair, "whose room is that down there?"

Ayumu gave out a little chuckle, "That's Shades' room. You don't wanna go near there."

"Who the hell is shade?" exclaimed Kyo.

"Our best fighter. Best fighter gets biggest room," he pointed to another not-as-large, but still larger-than-the-rest room down the hall. "That room belongs to the second best." Kyo grinned; he liked the idea of having to fight for respect and status. That's what he was good at. "But enough of that for now, here's your room." They stopped in front of generally small cell. Shades' room was probably three times the size. The contents of the room were pretty ordinary: A twin-size bed with white sheets, a white porcelain sink, and a white wardrobe.

'_I'm seriously starting to question everyone's fashion sense around here._'

Kyo walked into his room, and Ayumu shut the bar-door behind him. Tenshi leaned against the bars, "We'll be back in a while with your schedule, and we'll explain how everything works around here.  
They both leaned in with their signature devilish grins.

"Welcome to the family."

* * *

'_Damn those two are creepy._ _Well, whatever._' Kyo laid down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. '_I wonder what everyone's doing right now. They probably aren't even worried about me. They hardly even notice when I'm gone._' Images of Tohru and Shigure and Yuki started flooding Kyo's mind, and he squeezed his eyes shut to get rid of them. He decided that lying down wasn't the best idea. He went to the sink and splashed some water on his face, hoping that would calm him down a little.

'_I can't wait to meet this Shade guy. I bet that with all the training I've had I could kick his ass and take his place no problem.' _He grinned. Now he had a plan on how he was going to survive in this place.

He went over to the wardrobe and looked inside, hoping to find some extra clothes. After all, he was a little worse for wear. He found white pajama pants, white boxers, white socks, and a white t-shirt.  
'_Dammit, SERIOUSLY what the hell is wrong with these people?!_'

Just then, he heard a load gunshot echo through the hallway.

'_What the _hell _was that?!'_

He pushed open his door and rushed out, to see a guy standing there, holding a gun right in a girls face.  
"Listen you bitch! I'm sick of your cockiness around here. You're holding me back! You don't have any friends, you don't even show any emotion, so why don't you just die?!"  
The girl, just like the guy described, didn't show any emotion in her face. She just stood there, staring down the barrel of the gun, as if it were just a toy; as if she wasn't staring death directly in the face.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" shouted Kyo.

The guy turned his head around to look at Kyo, "Piss off! This doesn't concern you so why don't you just go back to your room like a good boy and leave us alone."

Kyo P.O.V

Oh, this guy was really asking for it now. Good boy? That little...  
The guy turned around and started yelling something at the girl again, but I wasn't really paying attention, I was too angry.

I marched up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He whipped around.

"Wha-.."

His jaw met my fist as I bashed him and sent him flying. His body slammed against the wall, and the gun went flying in another direction.

'_Ha, he fights worse than Haru. I can take him_.'

General P.O.V

The guy stood back up and charged at Kyo; his fists cocked back, ready to strike. Kyo took a stance, but had a slight grin on his face; he knew he could win this fight easily. He was just playing with him.

He easily dodged his attack and tripped him, which sent him head-first into the wall. His head made a sickening **_crack_** sound against the cement, but somehow he still wasn't done. He stood up rubbing his head, some blood trickling down his forehead, and let out an angry yell. He was steaming now. This time, instead of attacking blindly in rage, he stopped for a moment, trying to analyze Kyo's movements.

'_But the way I fight, to someone I've never fought before, is practically unpredictable._' Kyo smirked. This gave him time to get a good look at the attacker. He had on black basketball shorts and a black t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. Whoa, wait a minute; **black**? What about that white-on-white getup that everyone had?

His eyes were this weird green and blue mix, and he had light brown hair. He was really pale too. Also, he noticed something strange about his hand. He had a marking on it that read "Second."  
'_Wonder what that means._' He didn't have time to think about, because this time, the boy lashed out at him from below, and Kyo jumped over him, stepping on and hopping off his back, face planting the boy right into the ground. He landed lightly on his feet (like his inner feline self) and turned around, hands in his pockets, grinning because he knew he had won.

He caught slight movement out of the corner of his eye, and saw that it was the girl from earlier. She was just standing there, but suddenly she held out her hand.

'_The gun?!_'

Three shots were fired, as Kyo hit the floor and covered his head. When it seemed safe again, he peeked to see what had happened. The boy that had attacked Kyo and that girl was lying next to him, blood coming out of his back. He was dead.

'_What the hell is going on here?!_' he thought.

As the girl started to walk toward him, gun still in hand, he leaned back in the defensive position, one arm in front of his face.

'_This is crazy. I mean, I've been fighting for so long now, but I've never been in a fight like this!_' Even though he would still try to deny it, he was scared. He clenched his eyes shut and turned his head as the girl approached him and held out her hand again.

Tohru P.O.V

Everything has been such a rush lately. These past couple of days, it seems like the world is happening around me, and I'm just sitting here, helpless and scared.

"Tohru," cooed Shigure, "I called your job for you and told them that you've had some family trauma and that you won't be coming in for a little while, okay? So, just try to take it easy for these next few days."

I looked up at him, everything about me screamed **worried, sad, **and** angry. **My emotions were overwhelming, like I was going to burst at any moment. But my voice sounded . . . it sounded almost lifeless. "Thank you." I mumbled. I was just sitting there at the table, looking down at my lap, rubbing my eyes every time a bad memory came back. No matter how much I wanted to snap out of it; no matter how much I wanted to get up and do something or be there for the rest of them, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I feel selfish, I'm not the only one worried about Kyo, so I shouldn't be making everyone else care for me; I should be there to comfort them too! I mean, after all, he is their family.  
It's like I'm trapped inside my own body; a hollow shell of the happy girl that I am, or, used to be, I guess.

_Help me._

Kyo P.O.V

I stopped cringing and opened my eyes, to find her hand outstretched towards me.

"Here, let me help you up." Her voice sounded bland. She had even less emotion than Hatori.

"Ohh, umm, thanks, I guess." She pulled me into a standing position.

"Sorry you had to witness that. We don't take insubordination around here very lightly." She turned to me, her face serious. "Let this be a lesson to you: never step out of line."

"Oh, um, yeah," I stuttered.

I finally got to get a good look at this girl. She was kind of short and _very _fit. She looked like she had been fighting for a while; she had a very tight abdomen going on under her shirt. And that's not all she had going on under her shirt.  
I felt my face get hot as I hid behind my hair. She had to be a D. Maybe a C. '_I feel like a creep._'  
Anyway, she had wavy, long black hair and big, dark brown eyes.

Also, something else; she's not wearing white either.

Nope, instead, her clothes were all black, just like that other dudes'. Well, I guess it's either end of the spectrum with this place. She had on a black form fitting V-neck tee, and form fitting black spandex shorts.  
'_She looked like she had been boxing_'. I wasn't just getting this from her clothes; she had those protective fingerless gloves on, and brace looking things for her ankles. Also, she was built like a fighter. You could tell even just by the way she held herself when she stood.

"Nice to meet you." she said.  
I doubt it, considering her voice was still as bland and emotionless as it was when she shot and killed that guy.

"Hey!"

"Uh, yeah!" I stuttered. This girl was intimidating, and I didn't like that.

"You must be the new guy," she said. She took off her glove and held out her hand, to properly greet me, I guess. I looked down at her hand, stunned (for some odd reason) when I noticed that she had a strange marking on her hand; the same one that that other guy had on his hand, except hers read "First."

'_What the hell does that mean?_'

I took her hand and shook it. "Uh, yeah, hi. I'm Kyo."

"Hi, I'm Shade."

'_Shade?!_'

General P.O.V

Shigure looked up from his writing as the phone started to ring. Every time the phone rang for the past couple of days, he would jump up at the sound, hoping it was the police with any leads on Kyo. Now, he just stopped getting his hopes up. He sighed as he slowly got up to answer the ringing phone.

"Hello," he said. He didn't have that usual spring in his voice like he always did. He sounded tired.

"Yes, Shigure Sohma? It's Officer Yasuda. We think we know who might have taken Kyo."

Shigures' eyes widen and his heart started pounding. His throat felt dry as he said, "Really? Well, should I come down to the station?"

"Yes, I think that would be best. There's a lot we need to discuss." He said the last sentence with a sigh. That gave Shigure a bad mindset.

"Okay, I'll be right down." He placed the phone back on its receiver, and turned around to find Tohru standing in the doorway. Her head was hung, as if she was about to be sick. She was hanging onto the door frame, as if she was going to collapse at any moment, but Shigure didn't rush to her aid. He just stood there, staring, waiting for her to say or do something. She picked up her head to look at Shigure, and her eyes looked as if she was dead.

She ran to Shigure and hugged him, not thinking about what she was doing.

*POOF*

A cloud of blue smoke dispersed, revealing Tohru cuddling a black dog, sobbing as she held it.

"Sh- Shigure. Please. Please find Kyo. I can't lose anyone else. So please, please find him."

'_What does she mean she can't lose anyone else?_' thought Shigure. Suddenly it hit him.

Tohru lost her Father at a very young age, and recently lost her Mother. Also, those people that lived with Tohru and her Grandfather made it quite apparent that they didn't like her at all, and practically forced her to move out. She's been through so much lately, and now Kyo, someone who she was so close with, someone she really loved, was taken from her too.

'_Now I understand why Tohru has been taking this so hard. She just can't lose anyone else._'

Another poof and Shigure was back into his human form. Tohru naturally looked away, now sitting on the floor, her hands in her lap. She had stopped crying.  
Shigure grabbed his robe from the floor and put it back on. He sat down on the floor next to Tohru and stroked her back.

"Oh, and Shigure? Thank you for all that you've done for me. You've all been pushing aside your feelings to help me, but I should be helping you guys too, you know? So, I'm sorry for being so selfish these past few days. I promise, I'll make it up to you be making you all lunch!"  
She said the last sentence with a smile. At least she's feeling a little better.

"Don't worry," his voice serious, "I swear we will find him."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys! So, I based Shade's voice off of Angel from Angel Beats (dubbed), except not as "electronic" I guess.**

**Glad you liked it, if you liked it.**


	4. Chapter 4

Kyo P.O.V

'_This girl is Shade?! But, she- she's a girl! Dammit! I can't fight a girl! That's just weird!"_

"Are you alright?" She moved closer to me, studying my face.

"So- So you're Shade?"

"Yes, I'm Shade. Nice to meet you Kyo."

"Yeah, same." I keep stuttering. What the hell?!

"Now, if you don't mind I'd like to continue back to my room. Goodbye, now."

"Ye-yeah, bye."

'_She's really strange. In a cute way.'_ He gave a little smirk. '_Whoa, what the hell am I thinking? I'm here to fight her, not be distracted by her. We're both fighters. I guess that's just what we do._'

I watched Shade walk back to her room, and then walked back to my own; my last thought still ringing in my head. '_I guess that's just what we do.' _I went back into my room and lay down on my bed, replaying my encounter with Shade over and over again.

_'I just can't get her out of my head._'

General P.O.V

Shigure walked into the Police station to the noisy sound of ringing phones and Police Officers talking to each other. Everyone looked like they were in a panic.  
Shigure looked around and found Officer Yasuda talking to another Officer, speaking quickly, and then the other Officer ran off in another direction. Yasuda noticed him, and waved him over.

"Ah, Mr. Sohma, nice to see you again." the man said with a smile. "Come this way, we have much to discuss."

Officer Yasuda was a rather heavyset man. Dark, thinning brown hair and thick-rimmed round glasses framed his face.

They entered his office. He sat behind his desk while Shigure sat in the wooden chair in front of his desk. Yasuda folded his hands and looked at Shigure seriously.

"Mr. Sohma, so, as I said when I called you down here, we think we know who may've taken Kyo. Let me ask you, is Kyo troubled at home?"

"Well, kind of I guess. Kyo ran away a couple years ago and went to the mountains and did some training. But recently, he's been doing a lot better at home and at school. You can't honestly think he ran away do you?!" Shigures' voice rose a little.

O. Yasuda put his hands up in defense. "No, no. That's not what I'm saying at all. You see, there's this organization that captures troubled children and forces them to fight for money. They're called the White Hemlocks. The only time a child who has been taken by this organization has ever been seen again is, well, is if they were found dead."

Shigure felt his throat tighten, tears threatening to fall. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but couldn't. '_Dead?!_' He just couldn't imagine Kyo dead.

"Well, do you know where they are? Can you find Kyo?"

"Well Mr. Sohma, the problem is, even with all these cases about the White Hemlocks, we have never been able to locate their headquarters. We've been researching cases like these for years, yet somehow we can never get any leads. We'll keep looking, but our chances of finding Kyo  
are slim."

Shigure left the Police Station feeling worse than he had these past few days. He got into his car, and suddenly the tears couldn't be stopped. He sat back in his seat and just cried; he doesn't know for how long. He cried so much that he transformed in the front seat. Finally, he was able to pull it together, and turned back into himself. He wiped his eyes and his nose with the back of his sleeves.

_'Should I tell them what he said? I mean, about not being able to find him. Everyone's so sad now. Plus, Tohru can barely keep it together. If I told her they probably won't find Kyo, this would destroy her.'_

Tohru P.O.V

I was sitting in the living room chatting with the boys. Hatori and Momiji decided to stay at the house for a while, just to hear any news and to keep an eye on me. I wasn't exactly in my best state right now. But since they've been here to comfort me, I've been feeling a lot better lately. I was actually smiling a little, and I didn't feel so fragile anymore. I was starting to get back to my old self again.  
It feels nice.

The front door slid open and in came Shigure.

"Hello everybody." he said with a smile.

"Hello," we said in unison.

"So, I've got some good news. They know who took Kyo."

I let out a gasp as I froze in place.

"Really? They know who took Kyo?" said Yuki.

"Yep. They said it's an organization called the White Hemlocks."

"The White Hemlocks? That's a strange name." Momiji said.

Hatori decided to explain further. "The hemlock is an extremely poisonous flower. And Tohru, didn't you say the people who took Kyo were wearing all white."

I snapped out of my daze. "Yes, that's correct."

So that explains it. Everyone's voices drowned out, as I felt a new sense of determination set in. Now we know who took Kyo.

Now we can find him!

Kyo P.O.V

"Hey, get up!"

I sat up from my bed; apparently I had drifted off to sleep.

Tenshi opened the door and smiled. "Hey killer."

'_Killer?_' "What do you mean killer?"

"Shade told me that she was attacked by Takumi and you stepped in, fought him, and then shot him. Good job." She said with a wink.

'_Wait, she said what?! She shot the guy! Why did she tell her I did it?! Dammit, I don't want that on my shoulders.'_

"Hey!"

I looked up; I had been staring down at my lap.

"What?" I snapped. I didn't really mean to, I was just confused as hell right now.

"Fine, be a brat, you don't have to move into your new room if you don't want to." She turned around to walk out of my room.

"Hey!" She stopped and turned around to look at me, grinning. "What do you mean move into my new room?"

"Well, we fight for ranking and status around here. Shade and Takumi are the first and second best now because they beat the old second and first. The only time Takumi fights someone is as if they beat the 3rd best, and Shade only has scheduled fights if they beat Takumi; both are extremely rare, so they don't fight very often. Also, everyone has a choice if they want to try to move up the ranks more or stay in the rank they have at the moment. Say if you're 3rd best and someone beats you, then that makes you 4th best, because you lost your spot. Anyway, you beat Takumi, so do you wanna move up or not? Word of advice, I would, because right now, you're at the bottom. You don't want to stay there."

'_Holy crap, I'm 2nd now. Awesome.'_

"Hey! Get your stuff and let's go; I don't have to be standing here all day."

"Uh, yeah." I jumped off the bed and went to grab my stuff, but then realized I didn't have anything to take with me. I was wearing my normal clothes, a black t-shirt and khaki cargo pants, because I didn't want to have to wear those stupid white clothes.

I sort of made the bed, and then Tenshi and I walked into the hallway; shutting the door behind me. As we were walking down the hall towards my new room, I got the feeling that I was being watched. I turned around to see a few peoples' heads peeking out of their doors, staring at me. Some looked astonished, some looked afraid, and a few looked a little bit angry.

I gave a smirk, like a king looking down on his servants. I felt powerful.

For once, I didn't feel like a stupid cat.

General P.O.V

Kyo entered his new room, and Tenshi shut the door behind him and left. Everything was still white; except everything in the room was generally larger. It had a full sized bed, same sized wardrobe and sink, but he had his own personal bathroom, that had its own shower. Plus, the room was just generally more spacious.

'_Wow, I wonder what Shade's room looks like. It's so nice in here. Better than my room back . . ."_

He wanted to think of the word home, but it just wouldn't come. '_No, this is my home now. Well, at least for now. Until I get enough money to start a new life. That's why I'm here.'_

Suddenly, Kyos' door opened again. He turned to see Shade standing there, looking around the room.

"You're room is quite nice."

'_Yeah, but not as nice as your room.'_

"Thanks. It's much nicer than my old one." He gave a slight grin.

"Yes, those can be quite cramped."

Suddenly, what Tenshi had told him earlier came back into his thoughts.

"Oh, hey! Why did you tell them that I was the one that killed Takumi?!"

She looked at Kyo, some shock in her eyes, even though you could hardly tell. Then, the expression turned to slight annoyance.

"A 'thank you' might be nice." She sighed. "I told them you killed him for two reasons. One, killing him wasn't necessarily beneficial to me, it wouldn't do me any good, except make me seem a little more powerful, even though I already am. Two, technically, you were the one who beat him; you just didn't know that you had to kill him. So now you know."

'_Dammit. Yeah, now I know I have to kill them if they turn against me like that, but what if I can't do it? I've never shot anyone before!'_

She turned around to leave, when she suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Oh! And Kyo, one more thing." she started to walk towards him, when her foot caught on a section of the rug.

Shade let out a slight gasp and Kyo sprang to catch her.

"Hey, watch out!" The collided and landed on the floor.

*POOF*

* * *

**Sorry to leave you with such a cliff hanger. But I'm sure you can wait; can't you? ;)**

**Oh, and thank you to pinksugarrush for giving me the idea of putting Kyo as 2nd rank.**

**I wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but then I saw the comment and decided to give it a shot.  
Did it work?**


	5. Chapter 5

Tohru P.O.V

The Police station was very noisy; people running around, yelling, crying, and trying to give orders over ringing phones and doors opening and closing. It was all very overwhelming, but I couldn't leave yet. I came here with a purpose! I felt bad about lying to them about where I was going (over Hana's house), but I couldn't let them know I was coming here. I just feel like there was something that Shigure wasn't telling me.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind, and I turned around to see Officer Yasuda smiling brightly.

"Ah, Ms. Honda, correct?" he said, still beaming.

"Oh, yes. You're just the person I needed to see. I came here today because I was wondering if you could tell me more about the White Hemlocks and the case about Kyo."

"Yes, of course. Come right this way."

We walked down a hallway and stopped at a room a few doors down. He dug a key from his pocket and unlocked the door, and ushered me inside. As he shut the door behind us, he started talking.

"Now, Ms. Honda, what would you like to know?"

"Well, first I wanted to know what kind of organization the White Hemlocks are."

"Hm, I thought Shigure might have told you this, but, are you sure you're ready to hear this? It is a bit extreme."

Of course I wasn't ready to hear. I didn't want to hear any of it. I knew it was going to be bad, and perhaps that's why Shigure didn't want to tell me when he found out. I was still very depressed back then, but I'm prepared to hear the worse. I just need to know.  
I looked up at O. Yasuda and gave him a fake determined smile.

"I'm ready."

"Well, if you're sure. The White Hemlocks are an organization that takes teenagers who have family issues, and basically teaches them to fight. They kind of use their sadness against them, like black mail or a brain washing, and usually that makes them conform to their group. It's happened to a lot of teenagers around Japan. It's like they seek out specific teenagers. Every teen has some sort of family problems, but they pick ones who have horrible home life, like abuse or an extreme environment. Which is why Kyo's case is causing so much fuse around here; his family life isn't that bad." This was all too much for me already. Kyo seems like the perfect candidate for all of this. Not only did he run away from home for four months, but he's an amazing fighter. I didn't really want to hear any of it, but for Kyo's sake, I needed all the knowledge that I could gather.

"No! Don't hold back any information. I want to hear it all."

He sighed, and wiped his forehead with a napkin, like he was nervous. "Well, if you're sure. The White Hemlocks pay the kids to fight. They say that when they have enough money, the kids can buy their freedom. But," he paused and stared at me; the look in his eyes were saying '_I'm sorry._' "But the only time a child that was abducted by the White Hemlocks has ever been found, is if they were found dead."

That did it. At first I was shocked. I couldn't move; I couldn't even breathe. The tears wouldn't come for a few seconds, it was like I was paralyzed; I couldn't even cry. Then the tears started flowing like a broken dam, as I buried my face in my hands and started crying. '_Dead? No! No! Kyo wouldn't die! He wouldn't let that happen! Kyo!_' Each time I thought his name, the tears came harder. Next thing I knew, O. Yasuda was on the phone with Shigure, asking him to come pick me up from the station. I tried to protest, but I couldn't even look up from my hands.

About fifteen minutes later, Shigure arrived at the station. I still hadn't moved from where I was sitting. I had stopped crying, but I remained in the position I had been sitting in. It was like I really was paralyzed.  
Shigure walked in to the office and walked over to my side.

"Tohru . . ."

He bent down next to me and petted my hair. "Hey, Tohru, I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth. It was just so hard for me to even think about, so for you, I knew that you would have been devastated. I was going to tell you when the time came. I'm sorry. I should have told you all the truth."

He slowly stood back up when I didn't reply, and offered me his hand. "Come on, let's go home. I'll make us all some lunch, and then I promise I'll tell everyone the whole truth."

He still held my hand as we walked out to the car. We were driving down the road, when I decided to speak up.

"Shigure," I said weakly. He looked over, relieved that I was finally talking. "Shigure, I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you; I just really needed to know everything. I'm not surprised you didn't tell me at first, because if you had, I don't know what would have happened." A dark image crossed my mind, but I just let it pass. "So, I'm not mad okay? And thank you, for everything." I looked up at him and gave him the biggest smile I could muster, which wasn't very big. He smiled back and took my hand and squeezed it. "Tohru, I promise you, that we will find Kyo. Okay?"

This time my smile was pretty genuine, and I even giggled a little. "Well okay!"

Kyo P.O.V **(what you've all been waiting for)**

_'Crap, crap, crap! There's no way I'm faking my way out of this one. She saw me clear as day! And it's such a small room, I can't hide anywhere. I could hide in the bathroom, but she'd find me, and besides, what about my clothes?! I can't just tell her I'm running around naked! Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!'_ I need to think fast, but everything I thought of wouldn't work. Crap! I guess I have no other choice but to face it.

I sat there in my cat form as I waited for the smoke to disperse. Shade was sitting on the floor, rubbing her head.

"Hm, I wonder where that big cloud of smoke came from."

She then looked down, to spot me sitting there, an orange tabby cat. I was sitting there cringing, waiting for the screams of terror or confusion. But she didn't say anything. She just sat there staring at me, still rubbing her head; this time out of confusion. And I sat there staring back at her, expecting the worst.

"Kyo?"

Shade P.O.V **(for the first time ever)**

I had tripped on an upturned corner of the carpet, and crashed into Kyo on the way down. Then there was this huge cloud of smoke out of nowhere, and now an orange tabby cat was sitting on the floor in front of me. This doesn't make any sense? Where did Kyo go, and where did this cat come from?

"Kyo?"

I was saying this half towards the cat, and half out loud. I must be going crazy.

"Uhh, yeah. Hi Shade."

I jumped back. Where did that come from? I slowly turned my head towards the cat, who now somehow had its hand placed like it was scratching the back of its head. My eyes widened. No, there's no way that this cat just spoke. That's impossible. I mean, cats can't talk. I'm going crazy, aren't I?

Like last time, there was another cloud of smoke that appeared out of nowhere. But this time, when the smoke started to clear, Kyo was standing there; naked.

My eyes widened and I looked down in a panic, thankfully not catching a glimpse of anything. This couldn't be happening. This was all too strange.

"Hey! You can look up now!" snapped Kyo.

I looked up, my face probably still flushed red. He had his clothes back on, and I let go of the breathe that was hitched in my throat.

"That had to be an illusion, right? Are you playing a joke on me? That wasn't really you I just saw, was it?

He wasn't looking at me; he was actually avoiding it. He looked angry and confused, and almost hurt, all at the same time.

"No, it wasn't an illusion. What you just saw," he paused, looking down, sadder than anything now, "was my family's curse. You see," he sighed, "when our bodies are under a lot of stress or we're hugged by someone of the opposite gender, we transform into the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Pretty stupid, I know, but I've lived with it my whole life. I hate it."

I paused to think for a moment. "But wait, the cat isn't part of the Chinese Zodiac." I said weakly.

He glared at me with an angry expression. Through gritted teeth he said, "We change into the 12 animals, plus the Cat."

I guess I hit a soft spot, because he just went and lay down on his bed; avoiding my gaze. I felt bad for him; he seemed really depressed about all this. I didn't understand or believe all of this; there's just no way it could be possible. But Kyo seemed to be really upset by it, and it pained me for some reason to see him like that. I began to stand up from the floor, but I wanted to say something. I'm not exactly sure what it was, but I just wanted to get him talking. For some reason, I just didn't like seeing him sad.

"Um, Kyo?" I whispered. It felt weird, not knowing what to say. I don't usually hesitate like this.

"What is it?" He didn't have his usual bite. He was quiet. He really was sad.

"Can you tell me more about it? Your family curse, I mean. Since I already know and stuff. I'm curious." I gave him a very small reassuring smile.

He looked over to me, probably shocked that I actually wanted to know more (or at the fact that I actually smiled and showed emotion), instead of running away or being scared. Then, he tried to hide his feeling of shock by being his normal self; like he couldn't care less about the world. I wonder what else he hides with that attitude.

"Sure, I guess." He sat up in the bed and motioned for me to sit down on the opposite end. And there we sat; Kyo telling me all about his family and friends and secrets. I've never really gotten close to anyone like this before.

It's nice.

General P.O.V **(this part gets a little intense (no not sexually))**

After Kyo finished telling Shade all about his family and the curse, about two hours had passed and they assumed it was nearly time for lights out, but there was one thing Kyo wanted to know before Shade left. '_I mean, I did just tell her about the curse, something that no one is supposed to know about. Now that I think about it, why didn't I go along with what she said? Why didn't I tell her that it was a joke? She would've bought that, wouldn't she? Oh well.'_

"So, Shade. I've told you just about everything I'm not meant to tell anyone. Why don't you tell me about yourself more? Why did those bastards bring you here?"

Shade looked taken back by the question; no one ever really cared to ask her about her home life, and the only people who knew were Rush, Ayumu, and Tenshi. She didn't really want to remember, but it was only fair.

"Okay, fine. I'll tell you." She sighed, like she was preparing for a fight. "My Mother and Father and I were a nice family. Not really any problems, and we didn't fight too often. I didn't have any issues with my family. That is, until I was about 8 years old. See, that's when Father died of a heart attack. And after that, I guess Mom just couldn't take the stress. She started drinking and smoking, and," Shade paused, and her breathing became inaudible. "Well, she started dating again, if you can even call it that. She brought a different guy home every night. About halfway through the night, they would usually run out of beer or cigarettes, and she would run to the store to get some more, and the man of that night would stay while she went. When she was gone, the men, they would . . ."

Her thoughts trailed off, as her eyes widened, and she just stopped breathing altogether. She looked like she was on the brink of tears. Suddenly Kyo reached out and grabbed Shade's hand. He could see where this was going. Although Shade herself didn't realize it yet, she had tears streaming down her face while trying to recall her life at "home".

"Hey, you don't need to say it. It's okay. I get it." whispered Kyo.

Shade P.O.V

'_Why? Why is he so kind to me? No one's ever been this kind to me. What is this feeling; this aching in my hands, this tightness in my throat? I feel like screaming.'_

Then, Kyo grabbed both of my hands and moved closer to me; sitting directly in front of me. When he came closer, this feeling became stronger, like something was tugging at my soul. Then, he put his hand to the back of my head and pulled it down so it was gently resting on his shoulder. That was when I lost it; I couldn't take this feeling anymore, and I just let go of all my control.

'_Oh. So this is sadness. I had forgotten what it felt like.'_

I'm not sure how long we sat there for. Seemed like hours. I just couldn't stop crying, but Kyo didn't seem to mind, he sat with me the whole time, never once leaving my side. It's weird how he brought out this sadness in me. Even when the "abuse" was still going on at the time, I didn't cry. I guess I never was good at showing my emotions. But somehow, Kyo had brought out all that pent up angst inside me, and it felt great to finally let it go. It might be because no one has ever shown me sympathy before, or because no one ever even bothered to ask or comfort me when I was sad. They just patted my back and moved on, and I guess that's what I thought sympathy was. But Kyo showed me the truth.

He cares for me, doesn't he?

**Sorry for the sudden view changes, but certain parts just sounded better when I changed them.**


	6. Chapter 6

Kyo P.O.V

It felt weird. I've never shown my emotions like that. Comforting people, pitying them; it's just not my thing. But for her, well that was the only thing I could do. She was just so sad, and I could tell it hurt just too even think about. And the way she looked as she was telling me all of this; I guess I can see why she hides her emotions; she doesn't want anyone breaking through her.

"Hey, it's okay." I said. I felt kind of awkward; I'm not good with girls. She had kind of stopped crying, and she gently lifted her head up off my shoulder, so she was looking at me.

"Thank you, Kyo, for being here. No one has ever really shown me that kind of affection before."

"Really? That's weird, it sort of seems natural." For some reason she seemed confused by that.

"Anyway, Shade, I think I can guess why you're like this." She seemed interested in what I had to say, so I kept going. "You don't want your emotions get in your way. You want to put out that tough, ruthless fighter image who doesn't let anything get in her way. If you let her emotions show; people might hold it against you."

Then she did something unexpected.  
She laughed.  
It wasn't like a giggle or a chuckle. She really laughed. She has a nice laugh.

'_Wait, why is she laughing?!'_

"Kyo, that's quite an assumption." Then her laughter died down, and she got kind of serious again. "You are half right. I do hide my emotions from the other kids so they don't try and take advantage of it. But, the main reason why I'm like this; why I'm so distant and cold. Well, I guess it's because I've just forgotten how to feel. Natural sympathy to me is patting someone on the back and telling them to move on. That's all I've ever experienced, so my emotions only ever grew to the extent of my experience with those situations." She became sort of sad again, so I squeezed her hand tighter. She looked up and gave me a real smile.

"Thank you, Kyo. Really."

Shade got up from the bed and walked towards that door. She stopped and in the doorway, and turned to look at me.

With another smile she said, "Goodnight, Kyo."

Then before I knew it, she was gone, and I was left feeling kind of empty, but strangely satisfied.  
I shut off the light and lay back in my bed, staring up at the ceiling, with a small grin on my face.

That night, I had the best sleep that I'd had in a while.

Shigure P.O.V

When Tohru and I arrived back home, everyone was surprised to see her with me. I didn't tell Yuki and the others where I was going; just that I needed to go out.

Tohru went upstairs to her bedroom, probably to take a nap, and I told her I would wake her when lunch was ready. While I was preparing food, Hatori came in and decided he needed to interrogate me.

"So Shigure, how did you run into to Tohru?" He sounded very suspicious.

"I ran into her on the street." I fake laughed. I never was a good liar.

"Oh, really?"

I held up my hands defensively. "Now, now Hari, you'll find out everything soon enough. Just wait patiently until lunch is ready, and you'll all know." Hatori just nodded his head and walked off.

It was hard putting on a fake smile for everyone. I bet it was especially difficult for Tohru. She acted so happy when she walked in the house, she almost fooled me. '_I wonder how she can do that; hide her emotions from everyone, when she's being eaten away on the inside. Well, I guess she's had to do that for a while now._' My memory flashed back to when Yuki and I first found Tohru living in her tent, and the first night she stayed in our house. When she was telling me about how her Mother died, I was so sad. I almost started crying. '_It's amazing. She always so cheerful at school; you'd never guess she's been suffering like this for so long.'_

With all of the suffering that Tohru has endured, she deserves some happiness. Luckily, the gang can always bring out the real Tohru; the one who holds her true feelings.

General P.O.V

"Lunch is ready! Yuki, run upstairs and wake Tohru."

"Sure." Yuki got up from the table and went upstairs to Tohru's room. Her door was open, so he went in. There, instead of finding Tohru sleeping, she was just lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Yuki slowly walked in, not wanting to startle her.

"Tohru," he whispered, "lunch is ready." Without turning her head, she looked at Yuki. She actually looked kind of frightening. She was sort of sprawled out on the bed; her arms and legs making an 'X' shape. And she just stared at him; almost as if she really was trying to scare him. But then her features softened when she saw Yuki's caring eyes. They made her drop her guard. She curled up into the fetal position and started crying, and Yuki immediately rushed to her side. He knelt down in front of her and took her hands.

"Tohru, what's wrong?" He sounded really worried.

Tohru sniffled. "Shigure. Shigure will tell you at lunch. But Yuki, do I have to go down? I don't want to hear it again."

"Hear what again?"

"Just go downstairs!" she snapped. Yuki was taken aback by her sudden ferocity. He looked hurt, and he got up and began to walk towards the door, not wanting to argue with her. Suddenly, Tohru jumped up from the bed and towards Yuki.

"Yuki!" She grabbed his hand, and then fell to her knees. Yuki was shocked.  
"Tohru . . ."

He bent down in front of her, and lifted her chin up so she was looking at him. She looked so helpless, and it made Yuki feel the same; they've been through so much together, and he hated seeing her sad.

"Come downstairs, Tohru." He smiled. Tohru half smiled back.

As Yuki was standing back up, Tohru yanked his arm back down, so he was kneeling again. "Wait, Yuki. I don't think I can. Do I really have to he-" Her words were cut off when Yuki pulled her closer and kissed her. Tohru was so shocked she didn't even close her eyes. She just sat there awkwardly staring at him. She was stilling sitting there in shock when Yuki stopped kissing her and pulled her up from the floor.

"It's okay, Tohru. I'll be right there with you."

He held her hand as they walked downstairs; together.

Shade P.O.V

After leaving Kyo's room, I felt better and worse at the same time. I felt better because I finally got to let my feelings out. I've been living here for almost 4 years, and not once throughout the years I have I shown or expressed my feelings. I only realize now how almost inhumane that is.  
But like I said, after leaving, I also felt worse. Truth is I didn't want to leave. I wanted to keep sitting there, talking with Kyo, about anything I could think of. I feel kind of empty now.

'_Oh, I was so caught up in just talking with Kyo that I completely forgot about his curse!'_ He looked as though he thought I was going to be afraid of him or something. When he was explaining it to me, he looked really depressed, and sort of angry. Well, that is to be expected, as he's left out of almost everything that his family does. I kind of understand how he feels though; my family never really paid any attention to me either. But after talking to me about it, he seemed happier.

I smiled a little, as I walked into my room. I flopped down onto my bed, and clutched my pillow to my chest.

'_I'm . . . happy. I haven't felt this way in a long time. I like it.'_

General P.O.V

_Beep Beep Beep Beep_

"DAMMIT IT'S TOO EARLY FOR THIS CRAP!" Kyo pounded his fist on his alarm clock to shut it off.

'_9:30? Hell no, I'm going back to sleep.' _Well, he tried to go back to sleep, but then Ayumu started shaking Kyo's door. "Rise and shine, Princess, you've got a fight to win."

"Why so DAMN early?! And I though you said Second and First don't fight that often."

"You don't, but sometimes you do. 4th best beat 3rd best and now they want to try to move up the ranks. And what the hell do you mean early, it's night time! So drag ass; you've got 15 minutes to get ready." Night time? Kyo looked back at the clock and realized it said 9:30pm. '_How the hell did I sleep in that late? I guess Shade and I stayed up longer than we thought.'  
_Ayumu opened the door and tossed in clothing. "Here're your fighting clothes. Chop chop!" Kyo sluggishly got out of bed and put on his clothes. He went into the bathroom and splashed some water in his face to wake himself up, and then he was off to the ring.

When you turn the corner towards the arena, cement suddenly becomes actual wall, and it's painted black. There are two ways to go; right or left. Kyo found his name written on a sign towards the left off-shoot, so he assumed that's where he was supposed to go. At the end of the curved hallway were Ayumu and Tenshi waiting for him. '_I just can't get rid of these assholes; they're everywhere I go!'_

"Start stretching," demanded Tenshi, pointing over to a corner.

"Calm down, would ya?" Even though he was talking back, he did what he said anyway. He went over to the corner of the room and began stretching. He looked around the room as he did this.

It was a large room, almost everything painted black. There were a few people running around, trying to get things ready. Scattered around the room were pieces of equipment, all of which were red, for some reason. There was a large cell door on the wall facing the hallway. It was the door that led out to the ring.

"Come on, Kyo! You're on in a minute." Kyo jumped up from where he was sitting and jogged over to Tenshi, who was standing by the door. Now that he was closer, he could hear people cheering outside.  
'_People watch the matches?' _

Someone gave Tenshi a signal, and she grabbed a small burlap sack and put it over Kyo's head.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Oh, shut up. We do it to make your identities a surprise to the audience and each other. We do it to everyone."

Then, she unlocked the door and swung it open. Tenshi led him into the ring, and stopped in the middle. As she did this, Ayumu did the same with Kyo's opponent. Then, an announcer came on the loud speaker.

"Everyone, welcome to tonight's final match! With Tenshi, we have Kyo, the fighter who fought his way up to second place on his first day." There were some cheers, and there were some boo's.

"We will have a very special fight tonight. Please remove their masks." Tenshi lifted off the bag, and it took his eyes a few seconds to adjust to the light.

'_Shade?!'_

Tohru P.O.V **(along the same time period as ^)**

After Shigure finished explaining the whole story to everyone, Yuki and I were cleaning up the aftermath of lunch. Everyone was just as surprised as I was. Okay, maybe not _as _surprised as I was, but still pretty surprised. I was washing the dishes, while Yuki was collecting plates and throwing extra food in the garbage. I was drying a plate, when Yuki put down a pile of plates next to me.

"Well, that's the last of them." He gave me a big smile, and I felt my face get hot as I hid behind my hair. I still can't believe he kissed me. I always sort of thought I had feelings for him, but him having feelings for me? It doesn't seem real. Well, most things don't seem real lately.

I was snapped out of my daze when Yuki suddenly turned my face towards him, and he kissed me again! I was taken off guard, just like the first time. He's feeling awfully confident today. I wonder what has gotten into him for him to be acting this way. I can't tell how I feel about it, but for some reason, it did cheer me up.

Yuki walked away, and then the phone rang. "I'll get it!" I shouted. I turned the sink off and ran over to the phone, picking it up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is Tohru, I'm assuming. It's Officer Yasuda. Great news, we know how to find the White Hemlocks."

The phone fell out of my hand, and Shigure, who was passing by, ran over to me. "Tohru, what's wrong?!" I picked up the phone and handed it to him, and slumped down onto the floor.

"Hello? Who is this?" said Shigure. He was still looking at me suspiciously; wondering if I was alright.

I heard some faint sound on the other end of the line, and Shigure almost dropped the phone like I did. He was in just as much shock as I was, and it took him a second to reply.

"Yes, of course. Would it be alright if Tohru and I came as well?"

There was more sound coming from the phone, and Shigure's expression became kind of sad.

"Okay, I understand. So you're going tonight? Please call me when you have any information."

He hung up the phone, looking to me with a huge smile on his face.

"They think they might know how to get Kyo back! Apparently a Police Officer went under cover and found that they hold weekly fights, and rumor has it Kyo might be featured this week's match, which is held tonight. Two cops are going under cover to see the fight and hopefully finally put a stop to the White Hemlocks. Apparently they have a whole bunch of police officers that will be parked in a parking lot across the street as back-up." He bent down and grabbed by shoulders. "Tohru, they're gonna find Kyo!" We both started crying, but for the first time in a while, they were happy tears.

Yuki walked down the hallway, to see Shigure and me sitting on the floor crying. We both looked up at him and started laughing. He gave a sigh of relief, thankful that we weren't sad, and came over and kneeled down next to us. Shigure hugged Yuki; something I've never seen him do, and Yuki started laughing too, even though he didn't know why. This is the most we've laughed in a while. I miss it. If only Kyo were here; then it would be perfect. Well, he will be soon.

Kyo P.O.V

After the cheers died down a little, the announcer started speaking again. "Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we have a VERY special fight tonight, to mark the 15th anniversary that we've been holding these fights. Best fighter Shade will be battling it out with Second best fighter Kyo in tonight's match. Also, one more thing; to make it even more entertaining for you, this match will be . . . to the death."

The crowd went crazy; I could barely hear myself think. I was staring at Shade, but she wouldn't look at me.  
"Shade!" It was loud enough that she heard me, but that no one else heard. She looked up at me, and she looked as if she was on the brink of tears.

"I'm sorry." was all she whispered.

The bell rang for us to begin the fight, and we both got into our fighting stances. We paced around the ring, not taking our eyes off of each other, but neither of us wanted to make a move. Some people started to boo because we weren't actually doing anything, but I didn't really care. '_I don't want to fight her!'_

All of a sudden, we heard shouting coming from the audience, and looked up to see two men yelling at each other. One of guys was yelling, "I'm tellin' you man this guys a cop! He arrested me once; I remember it clear as day!" Then he pulled out a gun and aimed it at his head. "Die!" But before he could pull the trigger, the other guy grabbed the arm that was holding the gun and yanked it, so the gun was pointing towards the wall behind him. Before I knew it, the shooter was on the ground, and the other man had the gun, pointing at the man on the ground.

Suddenly, we heard rumbling coming from upstairs, and then the back door burst open, and the room was flooded. Police Officers were yelling at people, people were running and trying to get away, and noise; so much noise. Everything happened so fast that I didn't know what was actually happening; my whole word suddenly crashed. Someone pushed by me, and I saw Tenshi and Ayumu trying to run, but they were caught by two police officers who had jumped off from the stand. '_What the hell is going on here?! What's happening?!' _

Suddenly I remembered. '_Shade?!' _I looked around and found her with her back pressed against a wall; she looked scared, and I saw a police officer walk towards her. She crouched down onto the floor and put her hands over her head, like he was going to hurt her. I panicked and ran over, blocking his way. "I won't let you touch her." I growled. The officer put his hands up defensively. "I'm not going to hurt either of you. Please, come with me." He held out his hands to us. I looked back to Shade, who was now looking up at me, and I held out my hand to her.

The officer led us outside, where there had to be 2 dozen police cars waiting. Out there were other kids that lived here, all were wrapped up in blankets and being led to the cop cars. The same for Shade and I, as we were put in the back of a police car and driven to the station.

"Kyo?" whispered Shade. "Kyo, we're free."

* * *

**I feel like the last part was kind of anti-climatic. Also, it was kind of quick. Sorry :/ My writing skills are beginning to wither because I'm kind of in a hurry.  
But the reason I had to do it like that is because I want to finish up this story before school starts. If I had started this earlier in the summer there would be many more chapters. :c**

**I'll probably be finishing this story in either the next Chapter or the Chapter after that.**

**Oh! And I've also been working on a Soul x Maka (Soul Eater) fanfic that I already have the prologue and the first chapter written for, so probably after I'm done with this story I'll start posting that one.  
Bye! 3**


	7. Chapter 7

**In the spirit of Back-To-School, the fact that this is the last chapter, and that I want to release my Soul Eater fanfic tonight (so I can keep it consistent with Monday's), I'm posting the last chapter now instead of tomorrow! 3**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Tohru P.O.V

I was lying in bed, entangled in my warm blankets, unable to sleep. All I could think about was that call from Officer Yasuda, about finding Kyo. I hope my hopes aren't too high; I just can't wait to see Kyo. It's been almost a month since that day, and everyday has felt like an eternity since. I don't know how they managed when Kyo ran away for four months; I don't know what I would have done! But he's better now; he's not as angry and rambunctious as he used to be.  
I slight smile crept onto my face. '_He's happier now._'

My bedroom door burst and in ran Yuki. It scared so much that I screamed and fell out of bed.

"Tohru!" he rushed over to my side and helped me up. "Sorry for the scare, but get this!" he practically screamed in my ear. "Shigure just got a call from that Officer and he said that Kyo is down at the station right now."

"What?!" now I was yelling. I quickly ran to my wardrobe and grabbed a skirt and a tank top. I glanced over at Yuki, who was just standing there. "Ahem." I coughed.  
"Oh, right," and scurried out. I quickly put on my clothes and threw open the door. "Come on!" I grabbed Yuki's hand and ran down the stairs, out to the car where Shigure was happily waiting for us.

_'I was finally gonna get to see Kyo!'_

Kyo P.O.V

_'Damn, it's cold in here.'_ I wrapped the blanket tighter around Shade and I; hoping to stop us from shivering in this cold cell. We were both shaking like crazy, both from shock and the frigidness of the room. Thankfully the blanket was big enough so that no "accidents" would happen, because that would be a whole different kind of trouble.  
"Hm, you guys seem like you're pretty close, so why don't you huddle closer together? It gets pretty cold in here." The officer touched the cement wall, but quickly drew his hand away. "Anyway just stay here, we'll call your parents." I felt Shade tense at that last statement. I put my hand on hers; comforting her. I feel like I've been getting soft lately, and I know it's because of her.

I didn't want them to call Shigure. I didn't want to see any of their faces again. Damn them, always treating me like a kid, leaving me out of everything. Especially that damned Yuki. Screw them; I don't need 'em.

"Um, excuse me?" Shade said meekly. "Why are we being kept in here? Are we in some kind of trouble?"  
The officer let out a kind laugh. "Don't worry; we just need a place for you to stay. There are so many kids here that we're running out places for you to stay." He left the room, calling out "Stay here, okay?" as he was walking away.

"Kyo?"

"Yeah?"

"Is something wrong? You seem kind of angry."

"I just don't want to see my family, that's all."  
'_Family. Keh, as if I could even consider them family.'_ Then it hit me.

I bolted upright from my slouched position. "Shade, where are you gonna stay?" She looked down at her lap, refusing to meet his gaze. "You aren't really thinking about going home, are you? You can't go! That's not a good place for you to be."

"Well, where else am I going to go?!" she snapped. Her emotions were starting to fade again; the blandness in her voice was starting to return.

I rested my head against the wall behind us, thinking hard. Where could she stay?  
That's when I heard a bitter-sweet voice. '_Tohru?! Damn.' _I got up off the bed and sat in the corner, facing the wall.

"Kyo? What are you doing?" questioned Shade.

"Nothing. I just don't want to deal with them right now."

She probably figured out who was coming and walked out of the cell and into the hall.

"Hello. Are Kyo's family?"

I heard Shigure's voice next. "Yes. And who might you be, my sweet?"  
'_Dammit Shigure, you lecherous bastard. Stop flirting with her.'_

"My name is Shade; one of Kyo's friends. We're in the cell right here." The word "friend" made me feel a twinge in my heart, but I ignored it, because that's when I heard footsteps behind me.

"Kyo . . . Kyo, is it really you?" Wow, I don't think I've ever heard Tohru sound this sad before. She sounded broken. I didn't want to turn around, I really didn't want to see Yuki, but Tohru sounded really upset, so I swallowed my pride. I got up off the bed and faced them; my expression hard.

"Kyo!" I can see she had been crying. _'Damn Tohru, take better care of yourself. Don't beat yourself up.'_ Being unable to avoid it, I saw Yuki out of the corner of my eye. The sight of him just pissed me off, just like it used to. An overwhelming feeling of anger began to fill my body, and I curled my hands into fists. Without even really thinking, I dove towards Yuki, my fist cocked.

General P.O.V

Kyo was far enough from Yuki, so that when he sprang towards him, it gave him enough reaction time to dodge, and just as naturally, trip Kyo and sent him face first into the cell door.

"Kyo!" Both Shade and Tohru gasped, but Tohru was the one who ran over to him first. She grabbed his arm and helped him off the ground. "Kyo, what's gotten into you?" asked Shade. She was equally confused by his actions. He jerked his arm out of Tohru's grasp and say back down on the bed, avoiding her gaze and Shade's question. You could see his jaw clenching and unclenching.

Yuki was looking really angry and annoyed, so he walked out into the hallway, but Shigure quickly dragged his arm.

Shigure clapped his hands together. "Well, I think it's time we had an old fashioned family talk." He dragged Yuki over in front of Kyo and Tohru followed.

"Kyo, tell us what's wrong," demanded Shigure. Instead of ignoring him, he shouted, "HIM!" while pointing at Yuki.

"What did I ever do to you?!" Yuki was starting to get loud as well.

Kyo stood up and got right in Yuki's face. "Everything! Just stay out of my life! All of you! None of you care about me, so why should I have to listen to anything you say to me?! Why don't you just leave?!"

"FINE!" yelled Yuki, and then turned to the door and left. They didn't chase after him; they knew he just needed time to be alone. After all, this wasn't the first time something like this has happened. Then he turned to Tohru, she was already crying, but he didn't care.

He didn't yell at her, but he still sounded really pissed off. "You too. You don't care about me. The only person you want is Yuki, so why don't you chase after him like you always do?!"

**_*crack*_**

Tohru looked up from her hands to see a dark red mark forming across Kyo's cheek, and Shade standing fuming over him.

"What is WRONG with you Kyo?! Do you really hate your family that much?! From what I can see, they care about you a lot. They've been trying to care for you, and you've been fighting them off, like an enemy. They want to take care of you! Can't you see what you have?! Look, I don't know about the rest of your family, but I can see that these 3 care about you a lot. When we were still fighters back at the WH, you told me all about how they all rejected you and never accepted you, and that you were a victim. But from what is going on right now, it looks like you resent them for something that was forgotten a long time ago. Stop victimizing yourself, Kyo, and grow up!"

Her last words echoed through the hallway, and everything became silent for a second. Kyo was just looking at her, shocked. She ran out into the hallway, to find Yuki still standing there, leaning up against the wall with his head hung. She grabbed his arm and dragged him back into the room, assuming he heard everything she had said.  
"Now both of you apologize." Kyo and Yuki looked away from each other angrily.  
Shade punched Yuki's shoulder and stomped on Kyo's foot. If there was something Shade was good at, it was using her strength.

"Ow!"

"Stop acting like babies. You don't have to become friends, but both of you need to admit that you were wrong, for everyone's sake!" They all stood there in silence for what seemed like hours, but finally, Yuki held out his hand.

"Look, I don't think we're ever going to become friends, but we can at least try to get along with each other. Deal?"

Kyo looked up, still reluctant. Finally he gave a sigh of defeat and shook Yuki's hand. "Deal."

"Thank goodness!" exclaimed Shade, as she plopped on the bed beside Kyo.

"Ahem," the cough for attention came from Shigure. "Your apologies aren't quite over yet Kyo." He looked to Tohru, who was still standing quietly, not saying anything.

"I – I don't know what to say." Kyo couldn't tell if he had forgiven her or not.

"Then let me help." said Shigure. He grabbed Kyo's shirt and pulled him out into the hallway, not really wanting anyone to hear this. "Kyo, I don't think you understand the kind of torment that Tohru has been going through since you've been gone. She rarely eats, she barely sleeps. She cries almost constantly. You should've seen it Kyo. It would've broken your heart." Shigure paused, thinking about to what to say next. He let a long sigh. "Kyo, you know as well as anyone that Tohru cares immensely about you. Stop acting so selfish."

Kyo was really surprised that Shigure actually insulted him. "How am I being selfish?" he asked quietly. Shigure gave a little chuckle, finding that statement amusing. "You know, Kyo, you're oblivious sometimes." His tone began harshen. "Tohru is being eaten away inside, and you're angry with her because she likes Yuki? You really are oblivious, Kyo, because you can't see that beautiful, sweet girl in there that cares a lot about you."

"I know she cares about me, but why do I have to lose everything to Yuki?" he voice rose a little.

"Tohru isn't a prize!" he snapped. Kyo had never seen him so angry before. "And I wasn't talking about Tohru." Kyo gave him a puzzling look, which made him smile. "Moron, I was talking about Shade. We can all tell how she feels about you, and we've known you long enough to know when you care for someone. Don't let her get away, Kyo."

They walked back inside to see Yuki and Tohru sitting on the bed, holding hands, and Shade standing there talking with them. He didn't necessarily like them holding hands, but he let it go.

"Hey!" said Kyo, with his normal annoyed tone. All heads turned to him.

"Let's go home already." Tohru had a huge smile on her face, as her and Yuki stood up, still holding hands, and the four began to walk out of the room. Suddenly, Kyo stopped, and turned around to see Shade, who was sitting on the bed, looking disappointed. He marched over, and without any warning bent down and gave her a surprisingly gentle kiss. Shade carried the same expression that Kyo had before when she slapped him.

He pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "I said, let's go home."

He grabbed her hand, and he held it, all the way home.


End file.
